Preexquistes: Ups, Downs, and Being Worthy
by Lyrical Rex
Summary: WARNING: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTERS 220225! Every person has there ups and downs. But was I worthy of any of mine? Sasuke


Naruto: **Pre-exquistes: Ups, downs, and being worthy.**

By: Lil-Riter

Warnings:SPOILERS!!!!!!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CHAPTERS 220-225!!!!

Notes: I finally got up to the part in the storyline where the first Naruto story on my favorites list takes place. Naruto and Sasuke's fight. I wrote this immediately after chapter 225 when Sasuke's flashbacks on Itachi were over. This little piece pretty much tells all about the flashbacks. A little out of order, I believe, but most of the flashback is here. I'm going to do a follow up about after Sasuke and Naruto's battle when I reach there.

Enjoy! (Please review)

Pre-exquistes: Ups, Downs, and Being Worthy.

In every person's life...

... there are ups and downs.

At the same time, a person lives only one life. A person has only one chance to prove himself worthy.

Was I ever worthy of the life I lived before? The life I believed was so care free and safe? The one where only goal I ever had was to be my brother's companion?

But day after day I would approach Itachi with hope. Day after day I would seek his companionship, follow him to the wood where he trained. Day after day I asked him to show me how to be like him. The response was always typical. "Sorry Sasuke," Itachi would say, "Maybe some other time," delivered with a poke to the forehead. These were downs.

But these actions made me smile, because it seemed that no matter how much he "hated me, because that's what elder brothers are for," he would carry me on his back if I twisted my ankle, or offer to attend my entrance ceremony to the academy in stead of our father. These were ups.

But was I ever worthy?

My father always told me to become a fine shinobi like my brother. Itachi Itachi Itachi... He was all my father could ever speak of. Even when I showed him my top grade report cards, he'd only have one response. "Keep this up and become a fine shinobi like your brother." I always wished for him to tell me what he always told Itachi: "As expected from my child." And when Itachi guilt tripped him into coming to my entrance ceremony (or did he only come so Itachi would be free to go on mission?) he didn't even seem interested. He had wanted to go on mission with Itachi, because said mission was much to important to the Uchiha clan, and he wanted to see how his son would do. These were downs.

But... Mother always told me that I was all he ever spoke of with her. And I always ever think of the one time he told me those words I had worked so hard to achieve: "As expected from my child." Made me smile at last. At last I had recieved the words reserved for Itachi. I was catching up to him. These were ups.

But... was I worthy?

Ino and Sakura follow my every move, cling to me on either side, praying for love. Love? I can't help wondering. But yet... this is something something like Naruto would always hope for. At least the attention of Sakura, of course. Hmm... I'm not sure if these were ups or downs. Seems more on the downside to me...

But I'm not sure if I'm worthy either.

And Naruto himself... He risked his life to save me on multiple occasions. We trained together, ate together, fought side by side. I even died for him, once, and he killed for me. Through all these hardships, we hated each other like Itachi hated me. Yet we'd come home, supporting each other, telling Kakashi Sensei we'd done whatever task we'd set out to do. Climbing trees with Chakra, for instance. We'd become the closest of enemies... or was that friends? These were ups...

But I'mpositive I wasn't worthy.

Itachi was my goal in life. In the early stages, my goal was to befriend him. Later, my goal was to equal him. And after that, my goal was to best him in every way. This was neither up or down; this was simply cold hard fact.

Itachi killed Uchiha Shuichi, who was like brother to him. This scared me in more ways then one. Would he kill me too? I was, after all, his true brother.The rage I saw in his eyes... I vainly wished for things to be the way they used to be. This was a down.

Later I approached Itachi, and asked him to show me how to through the Shuriken the way he did. He was always the best. He chuckled, saying to me, "Sorry Sasuke, maybe next time," delivered with a poke to my forehead. Rubbing it soon afterwards, I smiled, for once believing this was an up.

Maybe things would be back the way they were before the mess of Shuichi's death.

Maybe because I had attempted to make Itachi smile, I'd be worthy.

But my thoughts were in vain.

When I returned home from practicing, Uchihas lay dead in the street. I ran to my home, frantically praying that mother, father, and Itachi were alright. "Foolish little brother..." Itachi scolded me, standing beside the bloodied bodies of our parents.

He then forced me to relive the past few days with his Mangekyou Sharigan, reminding me of when my father said those fateful words to me, my mother telling me my father loved me, he himself telling me that we were unique brothers, telling me that he would always have to live with me to help me excel. He lashed out at me, whipping me, tearing my jacket to shreds. Reminding me that he'd lied.

Maybe I was worthy of this punishment, for foolishly believing Itachi was still what he once was.

"You can't be my brother!" I yelled at his retreating back. No, my brother would always tease me with promises of tomorrow, not turn away from me.

"Believe it... I acted as the brother you desired, becoming your companion to seek your hidden potential." As these words were spoken, I felt everything around me shatter. It... it was all a lie? "You hated me. You continued wanting to surpass me. Because of that, I will let you live..." The tears on my cheeks washed the dirt away. Itachi was promising tomorrow. "...For my sake."

I looked up into those eyes that had awakened that that terrible Sharingan. This was my brother. Promising tomorrow in a way I have never known he could.

"You can awaken the same Mangekyou Sharingan as me," my brother continued, "But... there is a requirement."

"......" I responded with no words, silently asking the requirement.

"You must kill your best friend."

---------------------------------------------------------

That is why I now stand before Naruto, fire in my eyes. My goal in life is to kill Itachi. Avenge my clan, and prove that I am worthy of the name Uchiha. To prove that I am better than my brother. That I, not Itachi, am truely my father's son.

"Do you no longer consider me your friend?!" Naruto asks in rage. I close my eyes and ponder. "Everything we did together as team number seven, was it all meaningless to you?"

Everything we did, fighting, training, the picture with Kakashi and Sakura on my bedside table. Were you my closest enemy? Were you my closest friend?

_No matter what happens, that power will be mine._

"There is a requirement...

... you must kill your closest friend."

"It was not meaningless, Naruto. In fact, to me, you have become..." I look Naruto in the eyes. He stands in the water, drenched from our previous skirmish. "... my closest friend."

I let a small smile grace my lips. Oh yes, this was definitely an up.

--Owari--

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.


End file.
